ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. (October 13, 2010)—By researching previous elections, one can almost guess the trajectories of the 2010 campaigns of gubernatorial opponents Robert Ehrlich and Martin O’Malley, says political expert Theodore F. Sheckels. Sheckels will discuss Maryland’s political history and the O’Malley/Ehrlich rematch at 6 p.m. Thursday, October 21, in the Glendening Annex at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
To map the paths of each candidate, ask these questions, Sheckels says: To what extent have the rivals executed good strategies? Has Ehrlich successfully enacted the role of challenger? Has O’Malley managed to successfully frame the campaign as one between two administrations? Has each man successfully pitched his candidacy so as to appeal to the state’s large number of moderate and/or independent voters?
Author of Maryland Politics and Political Communication, 1950-2005, Sheckels teaches English and communications at Randolph-Macon College and has also written books on Congress, Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful presidential campaign, and South African literature.
“Ted Sheckels has compiled an impressive history of Maryland politics,” said Todd Eberly, interim director of the Center for the Study of Democracy, host of the lecture. “Though Maryland is often considered the bluest of blue states it is not immune to national political moods. The recent victories of Republican gubernatorial candidates in Virginia and New Jersey and the surprise election of Republican Scott Brown to the Senate in Massachusetts suggest that 2010 will likely look quite a lot like 1994, when Republican Ellen Sauerbrey came within 6,000 votes of winning and 2002 when Republican Bob Ehrlich became the state’s first Republican governor in 35 years.”
The lecture is free and open to the public.